Poinciana is just one of two county football teams playing a game this week – the postseason – and while it wasn’t a playoff game, the Eagles finished off one of their best seasons in school history with one of their best performances of 2024.
Thanks to a defense that forced four turnovers and a fitting Eagle finale by quarterback Cameron Brown, PHS claimed a 35-14 victory Wednesday at East River in the Orange-Osceola Challenge Classic.
Brown rushed for 175 yards on 16 carries, and passed for 167 more, hitting 17 of 29 throws while throwing four TD passes. Chance Frazier had three of those scores on catches of 8, 19 and 14 yards.
“I love these guys, and I wanted to do what I could tonight to send them out with a win,” said Frazier, a sophomore.
Wednesday’s win was the last in red and white for Brown in his three-year career.
“It wasn’t emotional, it was another game, but I made sure in practice this week everyone knew what to do,” he said. “It was a great way to go out.”
The Eagle defense forced four turnovers – two interceptions, two fumbles – and had five sacks by Deantae Burback (two), Jamel George, Ricardo Sanchez and Jerrel Jules.
The Eagles finish 2024 at 8-3, and Wednesday marked their 20th win in three seasons, a level of sustained success the program has never seen since its opening year in 1995.
“I knew this was possible,” said first-year coach Taron Mallard, who at 25 was likely the youngest head coach in the area. “I saw it coming together in June. This was a relentless group, for 48 minutes tonight and all season. I love this team.”
Two of the team’s three losses came to teams that will play playoff games Friday (Evans, Haines City).
Jakobe Hines recovered an East River (6-5) fumble on the second play of the game, and the offense capitalized, going 67 yards in eight plays, the last Frazier’s first TD catch from 8 yards out.
The Falcons answered with a touchdown drive and a six-yard scoring toss from William Billingsley tov Jayden Cappabianca with four minutes left in the first quarter, but from there it was all Eagles. Frazier’s second TD pass came five minutes later, and Poinciana could have extended that lead before the half but for another Cameron Brown touchdown pass called back for a penalty, and an interception on the next play.
East River started the second half with a successful onside kick, but the Eagles ended that threat quickly on a Burback sack and Jules’ fumble recovery. On the ensuing drive, after Brown ran for 20 yards on 4th-and-4 from the Falcon 27, he hit Will Nezius on a 7-yard screen pass for a touchdown.
Down 21-7, Billingsley drove East River into the red zone, but Hines picked him off on third-and-goal. It set up another touchdown drive Brown starred on; on another 4th-and-4 from midfield he scrambled then found a seam and went for 48 yards. He scored from the 2 on the next play.
In the fourth quarter, cornerback Kam Burham put the exclamation point on the win with an over-the-shoulder interception. By then the game trophy knew where it was going.
